The Unification Wars
by mavros16
Summary: Seven years have passed since Firelord Ozai's defeat. The world in a flux as nations attempt to rebuild following a century of war. In the darkest days of mending the broken world, Avatar Aang mysteriously disappears leaving behind a simple message. With the Avatar gone, Aang's allies must do their best to bring the world together.
1. Prologue

Seven years have passed since the fateful showdown between Avatar Aang and Firelord Ozai, a battle that would change the world forever. Aang's victory over Ozai marked an incredible turning point in a world that had been ravaged by war for over a century. In the wake of the firelord's defeat, many expected peace to return to the world. Unfortunately, the Fire Nation's war had shattered the balance of the elements and the nations, and without Fire Nation's iron grip to hold it all together, the world was falling apart. It is the role of the Avatar to bring balance to the world, but Avatar Aang disappeared from the world three years ago, leaving no clue of where he was going. Aang left a world that was going through incredible growing pains, leaving his friends and allies to hold it together in his absence.

Firelord Zuko assumed the throne and pledged to make right all the things that his ancestors had made wrong. However, seven years has proven to be too short a time for the other nations to forget the destruction wrought at the hands of the Fire Nation. As a sign of good faith, the Fire Nation military has been down-sized to only a shadow of the former war machine. Zuko turned his nation's industry from war to producing goods for trade. He hoped that by turning the Fire Nation into a trade hub, he would encourage other nations to forgive the long war of the past, and to embrace a world where the nations could work together. Zuko's plans backfired on two levels, downsizing the army created a surplus of men in his country who had strong loyalties to his father and Ozai's policies. Some of these men returned to simple lifestyles but many felt betrayed and turned to more sinister means of surviving. The Fire Nation's crime rate has never been higher and rarely does a day go by without attempts made on Zuko's life. The other failure of this plan is a result of Earth Kingdom trade policies that demand high prices from Fire Nation and impose harsh trade embargoes on all goods created in the Fire Nation. The Fire Nation now faces dangers from all sides and Firelord Zuko's choices will define the future of Fire Nation, and the world itself.

Following the end of the century long war, the Earth Kingdom has been plagued with social and political issues. Despite being the largest of the three nations, Earth Kingdom has struggled to return to any sense of organization. Ba Sing Se, the seat of the Earth King, has struggled to established order in much of the country, particularly in regions once occupied by the Fire Nation. In these regions, authority falls into the hands of the most powerful and creates a safe haven for illegal activity. In a surprising twist, dissidents from Earth, Water, and Fire have come together under the illegal areas and are working together to further destabilize the world. These militant groups fight for fortune, ideals, and idle destruction and pose the single largest threat to advancement in creating a unified world. General Toph Bei Fong has joined the Earth Kingdom military in the hopes of creating an Earth Kingdom that is willing to participate in bringing the world together.

Far in the south, Katara has taken on great responsibilities and is working with her father to provide the Southern Water Tribe with leadership. With the unwavering support of the Northern Water Tribe and the preferred position the Southern Water Tribe enjoys with Fire Nation, the Southern Water Tribe has taken several steps toward rebuilding their nation. Water Tribe ships now sail the southern shores and hunt and trade openly. Nowhere has the end of the war brought more prosperity than to the once broken tribe. Katara now stands as the primary advisor for dealing with the other nations within her tribe. Katara was the last person to see Avatar Aang before he left three years ago with a simple message.

"I'm going to seal the faults in this world. In the meantime, I need you to hold it together."

In the wake of the Avatar's disappearance, the Order of the White Lotus has taken Aang's message to heart. As the faults between the nations grow deeper and deeper, the Order made a move to enforce their presence in the world and to bring it together. The Order of the White Lotus, comprised of wise and powerful individuals, has created a group to function as their hand in the world. An organization known as the Keepers was created to maintain order around the world, regardless of national ties and boundaries. After much deliberation, Master Piandao was elected to head up the Keepers. Piandao immediately moved to make Sokka his second in command. The Keepers operate outside the boundaries of conventional nation laws, Piandao answering only to the Order of the White Lotus, and the wrong-doers of the world answering to Sokka.

But without the Avatar to mediate these conflicts, can the world truly be saved by the people he left behind? Firelord Zuko struggles to hold his country together, while also supporting a long term investigation in finally finding his lost mother. Toph is working through miles of political red tape to attempt to establish order in Earth Kingdom. Katara struggles to maintain balance in rebuilding the Southern Water Tribe and all the while questioning Avatar Aang's last words. Meanwhile Sokka operates around the world attempting to keep the peace and maintain the fragile balance that the world rests upon. All have their roles to fulfill, but can such a tumultuous world be saved, or will these few who wield so much power, play right into the hands of destruction?


	2. Chapter 1

I do not own Avatar

Chapter 1: Blue Wolf

Ghrast hated the smell of this place. This was the fifth meeting he had been to in as many weeks. Always the same scenario but with different characters, he and his would be allies met in secret locations to discuss their next course of action. Tonight's meeting was held in the small basement of a bar right in the center of the Fire Nation capital. The fact that these meetings took place so close to the palace was a clear sign of how weak and useless the Fire Nation government had become. When Ghrast was part of the army, no one would have dared risk bringing the fury of the Fire Nation down upon them. But times change and Ghrast had changed as well. This city used to be his home, he had dreams to returning to it when the war finally ended and the Fire Nation ruled the world, but he had been forced to return to it in shame and defeat when the Firelord Zuko gave up the war. That shame defined him, and he found himself seeking justice for himself and his allies by any means necessary, and it seemed the only way to save the Fire Nation was to eliminate the Firelord. That was the subject of tonight's meeting, though this assassination attempt was not very likely to succeed, it was important to send the message. So Ghrast broke up the idle talk in the room with a loud cough.

All talk stopped as the other members in the room looked toward him. They all sat at a long rectangular table that took up much of the room. Around the table sat eight chairs, each occupied by others who felt the same way Ghrast did. He had no illusions that some of these men sought only power and riches that would be available during the months after the death of a Firelord, but he couldn't count on patriots like himself all the time. Patriots rarely wanted to get their hands dirty, and for what they had to do, he needed men who were more in touch with the darker aspects of soldiering. None of the men around him truly stood out aside from two on the far side of the table. One was a giant of a man, the largest person Ghrast had ever seen by far. He stood at least seven feet tall and had arms as big around as an elephant-tortoises'. Ghrast had the distinct impression that the man's green robes that seemed to be concealing bulk likely covered a body hard as stone. He sat down in a chair that seemed made for a child compared to him and beside rested a massive hammer that came to the height of the man's shoulders when he stood, which meant it was well over a foot taller than anyone else in the room. His head was shaved but showed a few days growth which darkened his scalp, and his mouth was obscured a by a large brown beard that fell below his neck. Overall, he gave the impression of a man who knew how to use that hammer and wasn't afraid to show it. Scars crisscrossed his knuckles and forearms, while another moved above his right eye down along his face and disappeared into his beard. So he wasn't highborn, no noble would have scars like that, this man was a fighter of some kind, likely ex Earth Nation military.

The other man that stood out was Ghrast's second in command, Sai. The man wore two small straight swords along his back in an x. Sai stood out not because of any strange features, but for a remarkable lack of anything remarkable. He was the kind of man you would instantly forget upon seeing, average height, average build, hell even his voice was average. That veil of normality hid one of the greatest swordsmen that Ghrast had ever seen though. Sai could likely go toe-to-toe with Master Piandao and Ghrast wouldn't bet against him. Scars usually were a sign of a good warrior, one who had seen conflict and survived to tell the tale. Sai didn't have any scars because no one had ever been able to strike him. Ghrast was glad that Sai was on his side, he would rather have a man like that than ten firebenders. Ghrast didn't like how he didn't know many of these people, there was no telling who one could trust when it came to plotting murder, but he knew he could count on all the people being greedy and seeking what was best for them. Yes, greed is always dependable, now he just had to convince that this next move would get them all what they wanted.

The rest of the room contained a mishmash of ex military and disgruntled nobles, mostly dark-haired and fair-skinned Fire Nation and one or two green-eyed Earth Kingdom. Ghrast decided it was time to set the stage for his next big plan. He stood up and swept the room with his eyes.

"You all know why you are here," he said in his gruff voice, "We have to prepare a new plan to bring Zuko down. Fire Nation has lost all of its honor when it abandoned its rightful place as masters of this world seven years ago. Other nations seem to forget the power that our nation possesses, and the Firelord attempts to buy their loyalty with trade. The Earth Kingdom has shown that it wants us to suffer, and instead of forcing them to bow to our strength, we destroy our economy and ruin the lives of good and honest Fire Nation citizens."

Ghrast knew this speech wasn't going to go over to well with the Earth Kingdom representatives in the room, he hoped that Sai was ready in case the giant tried to use that hammer of his. This is what they get for fleeing Earth Kingdom to begin with, these men were likely criminals during the war, and the Earth King was really cracking down on raiders now that he was attempting to establish control again. Before Ghrast could continue, one of the members of the meeting stood up, from his appearance and flustered state, Ghrast assumed he was a noble.

"We have already launched dozens of assassination attempts on Zuko's life! All have ended in failure, with only three actually confronting the Firelord himself. Zuko's firebending is unnatural, no other firebender can stand against his flames and his palace guard is only becoming more and more powerful. If we are going to kill him, we need to kill him now!" The man sat down with a huff and a few of the others nodded in agreement.

Ghrast shook his head, leave it to a noble to point out the obvious yet offer no solutions. They really had tried everything, poisons, traps, stealth assassins, and even a small army attacking the gates of the palace. None of the soldiers had survived when Zuko took the field himself and launched a series of attacks that broke the army singlehandedly. What they needed was for other benders to confront him. The noble, ignorant as he was, was correct in saying that no firebender was going to stand against the Firelord's wrath and survive. Ghrast motioned for silence and a hushed tone fell over the room again. Ghrast needed to get a plan in motion quickly, even if it was just another ineffective show, it would still send a message. Sometimes you could win a battle just by acting like you were, when you show your enemies confidence in yourself, they often lose confidence in themselves.

"I have already organized four more attempts to be carried out on Zuko's life this week. Meanwhile, another group is going to strike at a string of factories south of the city in an attempt to draw the small military out. What I suggest, is that we combine our resources and bring a greater force against Zuko's army in an attempt to draw him out, then we can combine earth and firebenders to surprise him. These four attempts on his life will wear on him and we can catch while he is tired. We have to bring war back to the Fire Nation so that they take war to the world!"

Ghrast was rather happy with his speech, the others seem to be nodding in agreement and even the disgruntled noble wore a small grin as he thought to himself.

"With that I say we end this meeting and gather in three days time to coordinate our forces. Everyone must contribute for this to be a success, and if you don't have the power yourself, then bring this to the attention of one who does. Now let's be gone before Blue Wolf sniffs this place out."

At the mention of Blue Wolf's name several hands shot toward daggers nestled in belt lines. Ghrast wasn't afraid if Fire Nation intelligence discovering his meetings, they were just as broken as the rest of the system. Blue Wolf on the other hand, was a different matter entirely. That man had single handedly taken out over twenty meetings just like this one, and the worst part was that he came and went like the wind. They never knew if he was in the country, or half way around the world. Rumors spread quickly about Blue Wolf and his pack, that they were immune to bending, no elements could touch them, that they moved through space to appear wherever they pleased, and that Blue Wolf drank the blood of his foes. Ghrast didn't believe the rumors, but he did know that no one simply survived a strike by Blue Wolf. All the meetings that had been interrupted revealed a blood bath of dismembered bodies, and the ones not found dead had simply vanished from existence. It was a troubling thought that something like that existed, and operated within Fire Nation boarders for spirit's sake!

Then Ghrast heard a low rumble coming from the other side of the room. His hand moved to his sword, expecting an attack by earthbenders until he realized the giant man was laughing to himself. It was a deep grumble and he held his stomach as he continued to smile and laugh. Ghrast looked into his eyes and didn't see the eyes of a killer like so many others in the room, no; this man's dark green eyes shined like a child that new a secret but wouldn't tell. The man stood up to his full height which nearly reached the ceiling and looked toward the door at the side of the room.

"Just what do you guys think you know about Blue Wolf, huh?" the man said, his voice so deep and low that it seemed to make the room vibrate. "Would you believe it if I told you that I got this scar from Blue Wolf?" He gestured to his forehead. "His teeth are sharp that one, and you never know when he will strike next…I said, YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN HE WILL STRIKE NEXT!"

The giant proceeded to flip his hammer upside down and drop the massive head upon the ground that splinted the wood beneath. Just then, the door burst open and two figures entered the room, one was a pink blur that flew through the air and came to land in the center of the table. A young woman with short brown hair and a pink outfit that showed light armor painted red along her shins, forearms, and chest. She had an opaque veil that hid her mouth from view but she moved with the speed of an owl-hawk. The turned on the table and examined the room, a twinkle in her eye as she sized up all of its occupants.

The other figure walked in slowly, he was tall and wiry with dark skin and blue eyes that shown beneath a dark hood. He wore black cloth pants tucked into his boots that came up near his shins. His vest was dark blue and opened near the top to reveal his defined chest covered in several scars and burns. His sleeves were black and ran down his arms that met a set of black vambraces. His hood obscured much of his face and the rest was covered by a piece of blue fabric that covered his mouth and nose. A long straight sword was sheathed and held in his left hand, both the blade and his eyes promising death as he entered the room.

Ghrast roared and kicked the table up off the ground and used a jet of fire to launch it across the room. The pink girl flipped backward off the table and came to rest beside two of the other attendees. As the table shot toward the giant he sniffed contemptuously and lifted his hammer. The table shattered into hundreds of pieces, shooting splinters around the room. Ghrast looked on in shock as the giant swung the hammer as though it were a simple stick and struck an earthbender had raised a wall to escape. The hammer destroyed the wall immediately and passed through to the earthbender who took the full force of the swing to the chest. Ghrast heard the air leave the man's lungs as the hammer shattered every bone in his torso. The man fell limp with a disgusting crunch. He looked to his right to see that the pink girl make several motions that were nearly to fast to see, but both of the men near her fell upon the ground unconscious before they could even draw a dagger. Directly across the room, Ghrast saw his one hope squaring off against Blue Wolf.

Sai had drawn both of his swords and was launching a relentless assault against his attacker. Blue Wolf for the most part seemed to just be dodging the blows and deflecting some with his sword. He made it look easy though Ghrast knew that the speed both men were moving was something that most men could not dream of achieving. Ghrast's eyes opened in shock as he realized that Blue Wolf had not actually drawn his sword, and was fighting with his weapon sheathed. Maybe he thought that would enrage Sai and force him to make mistakes, he was in for surprise if that was his plan, Sai never got angry. They continued to move throughout the back of the room, weapons spinning and swinging so quickly that it was hard to track. Ghrast realized that he needed to strike and lashed out with fire toward the girl in pink, with a blast as hot and as wide as he could make it. Before the flames reached her the giant appeared before her in an instant, no creature that large should ever be that fast! Once again he watched the fire with a contemptuous huff and laid the head of his hammer across the ground. A rock wall sprang up on front of him blocking the fire. Ghrast prepared to make a run for it while they were distracted but suddenly the wall exploded outward, raining debris all over him. As he prepared to lash out, that massive hammer came shooting towards his chest with the giant right behind it. He felt the hammer make contact and his ribs crack before he was pinned against the wall. He tried to move free but the pressure from the hammer just increased and he felt some of his cracked ribs fully break. He screamed in pain and stared down the length of the weapon into the eyes of the man holding it. Those green eyes had lost their warmth and stared straight back at his as if daring him to move again. Ghrast lowered his head with a sigh, knowing that he was defeated.

Ghrast's only hope was that Sai would be able to kill Blue Wolf. If they managed to kill him, then the others like him would likely be able to make their plans with much more success. As he watched the two duel, he looked around the room at the sheer carnage of it all. The giant had killed two men with his hammer and several more when the rock wall exploded. Ghrast determined that the girl in pink was a chi blocker so the two adversaries she had fought both lay still, no telling if they were alive or dead. That left only Sai.

"Hey, Dozen!" Blue Wolf said as he continued to deflect and dodge Sai's blows. He didn't even sound winded though Sai was pouring sweat. "Did you get the impression that this guy was important?"

The giant smiled and turned his head toward Blue Wolf. "Nah not really, why?"

With that, Blue Wolf leapt backwards and took a wide stance, holding his sword beside his body as he placed his right hand on the hilt. Sai spun his swords in his hands, and then launched into a quick stride, closing the distance between them and positioning his arms to strike. Blue Wolf didn't move an inch until Sai's attacks where within range, his eyes then opened wide and he drew his blade. Ghrast didn't see what had happened, he saw Blue Wolf draw his blade and in one fluid motion he appeared behind Sai, his sword held above his head. Ghrast's eyes widened in shock as he saw drops of blood begin to drip from Blue Wolf's blade. He looked at Sai who stood in place, arms locked in a position for his swords to strike, frozen except for his eyes, wide with shock. For the first time since Ghrast had known him, Sai dropped his neutral expression and smiled as blood began to pour from his mouth, a wide fan of blood then sprayed from his throat as his lifeblood shot from his body. Ghrast closed his eyes, he had known that man for 20 years and regardless of the circumstances, he was happy that Sai met his end smiling.


End file.
